1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in internal
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of intellectual
Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
To be a partisan is to live in intellectual bondage.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
But there was a period during China's reform era that some pro-reform intellectuals admired the fact that America's ruling class was proficient in procedures.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
In an attempt to remain civil, the boys organize themselves, led by Ralph and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
To be a partisan is to live in intellectual bondage.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
Both existentialism and absurdism have their appeal and are represented by very cool intellectuals.
—Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
But there was a period during China's reform era that some pro-reform intellectuals admired the fact that America's ruling class was proficient in procedures.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
-
The challenge is to become as skilled and cerebral as possible, preferably while the elite athleticism is still present.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The artist needs no cerebral middleman to move the motif from the world to the page.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The report cited internal documents showing Salesforce pitching itself as a tool to boost hiring for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which seeks to ramp up deportations across the country, and suggesting how AI could help evaluate tips and improve ICE investigations.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The Indiana 50501 protest group disbanded due to internal infighting.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Most controversially, Herrnstein and Murray entertain the possibility that socioeconomic and educational differences among racial groups could be explained by differences in their IQ scores, and that these differences are at least partially attributable to genetic differences among the groups.—
Eric Turkheimer,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The study’s authors said that not all screen time is equal and called for further research into how the content and context of screen use—such as educational programming or co-viewing with parents—might affect outcomes differently.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Superman and Lex Luthor have technically had a child together for decades in the comics, but as many a gay nerd has joked on the internet this year, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex finally seems like a Lex who would baby-trap Superman.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
-
That bourbon, like all subsequent releases, was aged at Camp Nelson, a warehouse site located a few minutes from the distillery that is legendary (among whiskey nerds, at least) for the quality of the bourbon that comes from there.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Partnering with Donaldson would address the publicity problem while the university could handle the academic production.—
Chris Quintana,
USA Today,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The layoffs included a Health and Human Services division centered on family and community initiatives, a Housing and Urban Development office that enforces fair housing standards, and an Education Department team devoted to boosting K–12 academic performance, multiple staffers said.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Participants will receive a large pumpkin, carving tools and inspiration for finding their inner artist.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
My inner spirit jumped back out of me and stood next to the judge at the bench.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Check back on the second Monday of every month for a new puzzle built on clues connected to scholarly articles available via JSTOR.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Rarely does a 29-page scholarly paper merit the attention of top-level executives, but every business leader should be familiar with a recent study from OpenAI.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share